JCPS board holds final meeting before major leadership changes take effect

The board also gave Superintendent Brian Yearwood a positive performance evaluation, though he will not receive a pay raise.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — The Jefferson County Public Schools Board of Education held its final meeting Tuesday before major changes officially reshape district leadership and decision-making.

The board formally accepted the resignation of District 3 representative and Vice Chair James Craig. Taylor Everett was officially appointed to fill Craig’s seat, while Tricia Lister was named the board's new vice chair.

Board members also set an Aug. 29 deadline to appoint a new at-large member.

The meeting comes ahead of significant changes to how JCPS operates. SB1, which will take affect July 15, shifts power from the school board to Superintendent Brian Yearwood on spending, staffing and policies.

Yearwood will get more authority on daily operations such as contracts, transportation, personnel matters and organizational structures. The board will still approve the overall budget and set the tax rate, but anything SB1 doesn't specifically spell out will default to the superintendent.

Tuesday also marked the final day for Chief of Communications Carolyn Callahan, Communications Manager Tom Lally, Chief of Information Technology Eric Satterly, Chief of Exceptional Child Education Kim Chevalier and Chief of Human Resources Cynthia Grohmann.

And Yearwood's performance review was on the table. According to board members, Yearwood generally met expectations, earning an "accomplished" rating in all evaluated leadership categories. He was also credited with helping reduce JCPS' projected budget deficit.

Despite the positive review, however, Yearwood will not receive a pay increase because of that deficit. The evaluation cited the "significant restraints" on district finances.

Board members, however, said they're hopeful the recent changes will lead to meaningful improvements.

"We can’t see the results yet, but next year we will really have an opportunity to see if the restructuring is going to be effective and we should begin to experience some of the positive outcomes from all of this," said board member Linda Duncan.